Kazuki
Oda Kazuki is a former samurai and son of Oda Satoshi. Kazuki is an antagonist in the series. History Kazuki has a very obvious hatred for foreigners, caused by his assumption of a foreign priest having killed his mother after infecting her with the plague. He and Jack never got along in school and with his Scorpion gang, he often bullied and mocked Jack. Having disguised his inner cruel nature and his longing for vengeance, he became an exceptionally talented student at the samurai school and even became Sensei Kyuzo's favorite and protégée. His true self was unveiled during the Battle Of Osaka when he betrayed the Niten Ichi Ryu and broke the codes of bushido. When Jack and Akiko were about to escape from the battlefield, Kazuki caught up and attacked the pair. He violently injured Akiko, provoking Jack into duelling him. An intense sword fight erupted between the two, which Kazuki quickly won. However Jack used the "Mountain and Sea" technique throwing the knife. Akiko released her arrow and crippled Kazuki's hand. Kazuki swore revenge and was left alone The Ring Of Water Kazuki would spend the coming months relentlessly hunting for Jack (and Akiko later). He would meet him again at the Sound of Feathers Waterfall when Jack challenged Matagoro Araki to a duel to take back his Shizu swords, and once again at a bridge, where the two rivals battled in torrential rainfall. After an intense conversation, a climactic duel erupted between the two, but this time they both seemed equally matched. Jack eventually won due to his ninja training, but when Kazuki was on the brink of drowning, Jack saved him. Moments after being saved, Kazuki attacked again, but Ronin appeared and briefly grappled with the boy. Kazuki suffered injuries in the fight and collapsed before he could stab Hana. Afterwards, he was taken to Sensei Kano for healing, and once he was healed, Kazuki betrayed his former sensei and turned him in to the Shogun. The Ring Of Sky They would meet again when Jack was closing in on Nagasaki, with Jack escaping Kazuki after a duel on top of a cliff. In the final rush to the port, Kazuki was able to lay a trap for Jack and his friends with hired Ronin, resulting in the death of Miyuki. Afterwards, Jack and Kazuki had one final duel near an abandoned tea house, with Jack emerging victorious with his newly accquired reverse blade skills. Ashamed of his defeat, Kazuki attempted seppuku but was stopped by Jack. Later, during the execution, Kazuki is outraged upon learning that Jack, Akiko, Benkei, Yori, and Saburo would be pardoned for their supposed "crimes." He snatches the pyre from the executioner and throws it onto the wood pile, causing it to burn. But then it started to rain, causing Kazuki to howi with fury. He attempted to run Jack through with his sword in one last attempt, but was stopped by the messenger, revealed to be Masamoto Takeshi in disguise. Masamoto strips him of his samurai status and swords and throws him into prison as a traitor. The Return Of The Warrior Kazuki's imprisonment would not last long. Barely after a day in prison, he was released thanks to a loyal subject of his father. During his brief stint in prison, he resorted to learning The Way Of The Ninja from three Fuma Ninja who were in the same cell, in order to get his vengeance against Jack. Those same ninja who taught Kazuki retained their vendetta against Jack after the destruction of their base. Recruiting the Fuma to his cause, Kazuki eventually made his way aboard the Salamander, a Dutch trading vessel that was supposed to dock at London. He made use of the whole year aboard as a stowaway to refine his newfound skills, including Dim Mak, ''and eventually slaughtered the entire crew at some point. The ship eventually arrived at Hole Haven, England in 1616, where Kazuki bid his time in order to find his rival's whereabouts. After Jack manages to rescue Jess Fletcher, Kazuki kills Sir Toby at the Gallery of Arms before revealing his identity. In the subsequent duel that followed, the former samurai is blinded in one eye from a shuriken thrown by Jack. Despite this, Kazuki was able to fight on equal ground using an improvised version of the Two Heavens, but was eventually defeated after Jack adopted the techniques of the Western Rapier into his skillset. Still refusing to admit defeat, Kazuki later snuck onboard the ''Hosiander ''as it made to depart England and struck Akiko with the death touch. By this point however, he had been infected with the virulent plague, resulting in a severely weakened state. He was knocked overboard by Jack, and drowned. Personality Being distantly related to the Emperor of Japan , gave Kazuki a sense of superiority and arrogance. Especially in the presence of Jack Fletcher, a foreigner whom he detests. He is devious and cunning, able to set traps efficiently and know when his enemies are arriving. He also has little honor within him, betraying his former sensei and comrades without hesitation when the occasion arises Kazuki is extremely hateful and vindictive, possessing an intense hatred of all foreigners just because one of them accidentally killed his mother. He was also exceptionally sadistic, taunting and harassing Jack Fletcher throughout the books and threatening anyone who appeared close to him. His most prominent asset is his intelligence—Kazuki is meticulous, cunning and brilliant in spite of himself, shown to be able to set up several elaborate strategies and logical arguments, and being a dangerous enemy for Jack because of his formidable determination and cleverness. He also considers himself an honourable Samurai, even though he genuinely disregards honour in favour of his personal problems and savage pleasures. Appearance Kazuki is described as a handsome young man with a shaved head, eyes which are dark and hooded and high cheekbones. He has a kamon of a sun on his kimono. Skills *'Kenjutsu Expert''' - From the start, Kazuki was introduced as an exceptionally skilled swordsman, and he was easily able to beat Jack several times initially. He mastered the Two Heavens as well, although he was forced to ditch the technique after Akiko disabled his right hand during the closing stages of the Battle of Osaka. However, before being disabled in the Battle, Kazuki dueled Jack Fletcher - both of them using recently-learned Two-Heavens techniques - but Kazuki still defeated him quickly. Despite being crippled, Kazuki shows no sign of losing his skill with a single katana - this is shown prominently when he battles Jack Fletcher, who used the Two Heavens to the best of his ability. He was capable of holding his ground for ages against his opponent, in spite of Jack's resourcefulness, intelligence and Ninja training. The duel ultimately led to a stalemate. *'Taijutsu Expert' - Kazuki also was proficient in taijutsu, so much that Sensei Kyuzo favored him during his classes and used him as a training partner for Jack many times. *'Cunning' - Kazuki has proven to be extremely devious, able to carry out his plans in secret without Masamoto and the sensei noticing him. He also was able to lure Jack and Hana into his trap in the Ring of Water. Weapons and Gear *'Katana' - Kazuki now carries just a katana, for he is no longer able to use the Two Heavens. *'Hidden Blade' - Hidden in a device on his right hand, when he clenches his fist, a steel blade will be shot out. First used against Jack in Water and finally in Sky, where Jack broke it off as Kazuki tried to commit suicide. Trivia *His name means "Shining One." Category:Characters Category:Scorpion Gang Members Category:Antagonists Category:Males Category:Prisoners Category:Main Characters Category:Japanese